ITV have the rights to The Voice from 2017, calling into question the future of the X Factor, which is not currently contracted beyond this year. Meanwhile, the BBC’s last series of The Voice starts this evening, with a new judging line-up which sees Boy George and Paloma Faith join Will.i.am and Ricky Wilson. If you’re watching, please feel free to use this thread to discuss.
I’ve just heard Bernie Clifton on Radio 4. He’s on The Voice singing “The Impossible Dream”. Not as well as Andy Williams, but not bad for an 80 year old bloke from St Helens. He wouldn’t say whether he got through.
I know there’ll be plenty more to come, but could we please have a general Eurovision discussion thread until things get into fuller swing?
That’s a good idea.
Has anyone been watching/following the voice this year?
Hadn’t seen a second of it, noticed your comment and then thought I would give it a minor whistle-stop tour of a look-see.
I’ve just watched the blid auditions of the (now) 4 finalists, in best available odds order, starting with the favourite.
Kevin Simm (5/4), ex Liberty Xer.
Once met Kevin Simm and very nice he was too. He is genuinely nice.
Any time I see someone trying to break back into it all, I always remember a show called Grease is the Word. The judging panel was an odd mix, mainly very American sounding, with Sinita looking hot and David Gest looking uniquely ridiculous, as usual.
Kavana got through to the final (despite carrying a feint air of embarrassment-cum-misery-doom) about him at the merest hint of a knock-back.
There was a moment where Kav and then his rival had the opportunity to pitch as to why he (whoever was pitching) should nab your vote.
Kav’s rival laid it on thick about being young and never having had an opportunity like this before [unlike certain others!]. Kav spirits seemed to sink as though he accepted his fate was sealed.
It was unsurprising that Kav lost.
Back to Kevin Simm – he provided a fabulous, emotional vocal, and seemed to have the entire judging panel behind him, willing his second-coming narrative on…but they would wouldn’t they? Paloma Faith is the youngest coach / mentor at 34, which is 1 year younger than Kevin.
5/4? A bit skinny, perhaps?
Jolan (3/1)…
…gave a fantastic rendition of TTD’s Wishing Well (an absolute fave of mine from one of my fave albums). He’s excellent, handsome, charismatic, can imagine parents and grandparents will love his clean cut looks too.
Sneaked a peak of one of his battle performances (seems to be a different format this season) and he was just as fab there. I noticed that when he left the stage to walk back to his waiting Team Ricky members, he and Kev hugged briefly. Jolan is taller than Kav, noticeably younger and more handsome.
3/1? Could be value there.
Cody Frost (7/2)
Boy George, before turning, enquired as to whether the blind audition singer was a boy or a girl.
Hmmm. The whole gender ambiguity cognitive dissonance business certainly didn;t hinder Conchita, did it?
I imagine Boy George and Cody have a sizeable demographic vote bloc already under lock and key.
Personally, I was annoyed at Cody for doing one of those slowed-down suck-all-the-life-out-of-it interpretations of a classic. In this instance, ABBA’s Lay All Your Love On Me.
However, everyone seemed wowed.
An unusual vocal and visual mix of choir, rock, goth, punky and emo. Proper Lancashire lass, too. Northern as anything speaking voice.
Very young, naive laugh, slight touch of cheeky arrogance.
7/2? V difficult to know if Cody’s odds are under or overpriced.
Lydia Lucy (13/2)
Incredible control, conventionally pretty, annoying.
I was bored after half a minute.
American accented, high pitched show-offish-ness.
Apparently, she’s been on X Factor, too. Usually a kiss of death.
13/2? No thank you.
Incidentally, although Lydia Lucy was annoying (even her name’s annoying), Paloma Faith easily trumped her in those stakes. Paloma is 34 going on spoilt, privileged 8.
I’ve watched most weekends and I have to say that the series has been even more piss poor than usual. I say that as somebody who has watched this show intermittently before, but never in detail.
Going into the final, I’d be confident on betting on an Team Ricky top two, Cody seems to have a dedicated enough following but not enough universal appeal and so I see her third. I’m not sure where Lydia’s votes are coming from, but I’ve seen little to no support for her on Twitter or online, and nobody else I know who is watching has much of a fondness for her either. I’d predict her at fourth.
Between the two boys, I think Jolan has a better chance of winning. He has a mega sob story with his dead mum, as you say above Guildo, he’s younger and more attractive than Kevin and he seems more natural and charismatic on stage, and has more musicianship. If he wheels out his guitar agian for the final and sings a demo-delighting classic like “Purple Rain”, I can see him managing the win. Kevin seems the obvious favourite, and his vocal is more beige than Jolan’s and may appeal to a broader range of voters but I think Jolan may nudge it. Kevin’s only narrative is the rather weak “comeback kid” story which, IMO, makes him seem rather undeserving and his “good dad” story which is heartwarming, but not as powerful as Jolan’s dead mum story, which is even more powerful as they have the footage of her being there for him the last time he auditioned and didn’t get through.
Saying that, after half watching previous series I’ve never once guessed the correct winner.